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Thursday, July 12, 2018

12 July - am - Blogs I'm Following 2 of 2

NEW ORLEANS — Attorneys for three University of Texas professors asked a federal appeals court Wednesday to revive their challenge of a law allowing people with concealed-handgun licenses to carry weapons on public university campuses. Two of the professors, Lisa Moore and Mia Carter, were on the front row as a three-judge panel of the […]

BOULDER, Colo. — A mechanical engineering professor at the University of Colorado Boulder has pleaded guilty to mail fraud for using funds from a research grant for personal expenses, including international travel. Oleg Viktorovich Vasilyev, 50, pleaded guilty Monday. Sentencing on the federal charge is scheduled for Oct. 25. Court records show Vasilyev received a […]

LAWRENCE, Kan. Kansas Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer and Secretary of State Kris Kobach on Wednesday demanded that the University of Kansas take down an art display that involves an altered U.S. flag, calling it disrespectful to the military. The piece, called “Untitled (Flag 2), is the last of a series of flag pieces that have […]

*TRACY L. BRUNDAGE* was named president of Keystone College. She will be the first woman to lead the school since it transitioned to a four-year institution from a junior college. Brundage currently serves as the school’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Gettysburg College and a master’s degree and doctorate from Pennsylvania State University.

*TOKI WRIGHT* was named assistant chair of professional music department at Berklee College of Music. Wright, a producer, writer, MC and community organizer, will take on his new duties effective July 15. He also led the country’s first fully accredited Hip-Hop Studies program at McNally Smith College of Music.

*DALE-ELIZABETH PEHRSSON* has been named president of Clarion University. She currently serves as dean of the College of Education and Human Services at Central Michigan University. Pehrsson earned her bachelor’s degree from the University at Albany, two master’s degrees and a doctorate from Idaho State University.

*NANCY J. CABLE* has been selected as the chancellor of the University of North Carolina, Asheville, effective August 15. She currently serves as president of the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. Cable earned her bachelor’s degree from Marietta College, her master’s degree from the University of Vermont and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia.

Genetic testing has been overcome by companies selling hype. Even 23andMe, arguably the most prominent, was chastised by FDA for promising peace of mind when they couldn't do anything of the kind. What about actual research involving the testing of human biospecimens? Should individual research results on a study-specific basis be done through an informed decision-making process? If so, how? And when? read more

Seabirds love fish and fishing nets are a ready source of food. Peru's gillnet fleet comprises the largest component of that nation's small-scale fleet and is conservatively estimated to set 100,000 kilometers of net per year in which thousands of turtles and seabirds die as "bycatch" or unintentionally. read more

*"The Power Of Delusion"* by the ZMan "Way back in the olden times, I was going back and forth with a liberal acquaintance about a topic related to his cult’s recent fixation on diversity. I no longer recall the details of the conversation, but at some point he said, “The reason we moved to Arlington was so our child could experience diversity.” He was speaking of Arlington Massachusetts, one of the whitest places on earth. He had moved to honkeyville, but he had somehow convinced himself that it was a rainbow community of racial and ethnic diversity. Being a polite person, I laug...more »

England lost. Ho hum. Why not console yourself with my talking incoherently about Boris Johnson, Brexit, and the long-term decline of the Tory party - among other things? Brought to you courtesy of the PoliticsTheoryOther podcast. Follow it on Twitter, check out their Patreon page and don't forget to give them a like on the old Facebook page.

Liberals are in hysterics and wetting themselves because the President went to Europe and talked tough to European allies and actually had the audacity to question why they don't pay their fair share in defending the continent from Russian aggression. And just like every other times Trump has done something they deem unusual or dangerous, he gets results and liberals are left looking embarrassingly for the next shiny object. As a result of Trump's straightforward tough talk, the NATO nations have agreed to increase their military spending and no one was harder hit than former Secr...more »

“It seems to me what is called for is an exquisite balance between two conflicting needs: the most skeptical scrutiny of all hypotheses that are served up to us and at the same time a great openness to new ideas. If you are only skeptical, then no new ideas make it through to you. On the other hand, if you are open to the point of gullibility and have not an ounce of skeptical sense in you, then you cannot distinguish the useful ideas from the worthless ones.” - Carl Sagan

OPEC in June agreed to hike output in order to bring prices down *CNBC:* *OPEC's oil output jumps in June as Saudi Arabia opens the taps to tame crude prices* * Saudi Arabia's oil production jumped by nearly 500,000 barrels per day in June as it aims to put more supply into the market to tame the cost of crude. * Output from OPEC was up 173,000 bpd as the 15-member producer group prepares to lift production caps in place since 2017. * OPEC forecast that global oil demand will cross 100 million bpd for the first time in 2019, but warned trade tensions could negatively impact the mar...more »

[image: christianity-in-the-crosshairs-why-the-west-is-losing-its-faith] Though religiosity is growing worldwide, in the West it is declining. Atheists claim that logic and scientific rationales are causing the decline — they’re mistaken.

[image: eia-us-shortly-to-become-the-worlds-leading-producer-of-crude-oil] The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) proclaimed on Tuesday that, if its forecasts are correct, the United States will soon be the world’s leading producer of crude oil.

https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-busts-significant-sex-trafficking-ring-operating-florida-north-carolina Donald Trump wasn’t president in 2013, so there was no need to protest. Obama was the deporter-in-chief according to some on the far left. But thousands were released into the U.S. population, never to return for their court date.

“It is with great sadness that I inform you that Pastor Dave and Pam Mann’s son, Josh, died early this morning. Josh encountered numerous complications following surgery in late June and today he was called home by his Heavenly Father. Funeral arrangements have not yet been completed, but that information will be shared with you once plans are finalized. Thank you for your prayers thus far. It has been a blessing to the family to know that so many people have been lifting them in prayer. Please continue to pray for Pastor Dave, Pam, their children Joelle, Isaac, EJ, and the entir...more »

Kodak Agfa posted a photo: [image: Danger Sign at first waterfall at Egypt's Wadi El Rayan protectorate] "Danger !! Jumping into waterfall can lead to fracture or death , with the best regards of someone who tried it that" A warning sign at the first waterfall of Wadi El-Rayan Protectorate in Fayoum, Egypt

One of the world’s top economists has written an expert court report that forcefully supports a group of children and young adults who have sued the federal government for failing to act on climate change. (Source: Inside Climate News here) Excerpts in italics with my bolds. Stiglitz, a Columbia University economics professor and former […]

*BBC:* *China 'shocked' by US actions in trade dispute* China said it is "shocked" after the US announced plans for fresh tariffs, escalating a trade war between the two countries. The US listed $200bn (£150bn) worth of additional products it intends to place tariffs on as soon as September. The move comes just days after the two countries imposed tit-for-tat tariffs of $34bn on each other's goods. Beijing described Washington's latest threat as "totally unacceptable," saying it would harm the world. "The behaviour of the US is hurting China, hurting the world and hurting itself...more »

Earlier today, I noted that the worst candidate the DCCC recruited this cycle and that Democrats nominated for the House is Jeff Van Drew in New Jersey. How do I know? He's a state senator and has a long and putrid voting record-- easy peasy. My sister lives in his district and I've told her to just hold her nose and vote for him anyway. Why? There's really only one issue in November: Trump. The Democrats need to take back the House, and although Van Drew will certainly vote-- at least on crucial issues-- with the GOP more often than with progressives, we need every seat possible ...more »

Five years ago, California set out to be a world leader in adopting ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets and created the world's fourth-largest carbon-trading program. Not bad for one state. Except it isn't helping the state, it is subsidizing others. And some of the emissions targets are not emissions at all, they are instead epidemiological claims like small micron particulate matter (PM2.5), which have had zero acute deaths but were the target of EPA and California environmentalists despite a lack of evidence. read more

[image: undefined] Okay, well, Trump did it again. Antagonizing allies. This time it was Germany that took the main hit, over the fact that it pays Russia billions of dollars for oil and gas while relying on the US for its defense … against Russia. And yes, that is a strange situation. But it’s by no means the only angle to the story. There are many more. For one thing, The US has by far the largest military industry. So it makes a lot of money off the billions already spent by NATO partners on weaponry. Of course Raytheon, Boeing et al would like to see them spend more. But once t...more »

The story of Elvis Pigsley is sure to bring a big smile to your face. This little piglet found himself on just the right doorstep at just the right moment, and his life was changed forever. Rather than searching for the farmer who may have lost his “property,” they decided to do what was best for this sweet baby and immediately brought him to Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary. At the sanctuary, Elvis got everything a little pig like him could need, including his winning name. As his new carers admit … you just can’t help falling in love with him! Elvis Pigsley began winning over every...more »

German Bundestag *Sputnik*: *German Bundestag Committee: Russia's Syria Campaign is Legal, US Should Leave* The US-led coalition’s military intervention in Syria is under increasing levels of scrutiny, with critics arguing that the coalition has no mandate to conduct military operations in the Arab Republic as it doesn’t have Damascus’ approval to do so. A committee of the German Bundestag headed by Die Linke politician Alexander Neu found Russia’s military presence in Syria to be “considered permissible in international law” as the Syrian government requested assistance from Mos...more »

*"Before the U.S. election, I was asked to compare Trump to Hillary. Isn't Trump better?* *"At the time, I said he will implement a similar socialist disaster to Hillary. Maybe it will be slightly less disastrous (too early to tell). However, the key distinction is that he would do so in the name of capitalism. He would make people hate capitalism. How could people even know that he was implementing socialism, if his most ardent supporters were calling it capitalism?* *"It's turned worse than that: he has resurrected old, failed, long-debunked interventions in the economy. And made...more »

[image: russia-nato-chess-match-russia-building-up-military-sites-near-polish-border] Recent satellite images indicate that Russia has built up military sites in Baltiysk, Kaliningrad, Russian territory sandwiched between Lithuania and Poland.

Yesterday I saw in the Wall Street Journal an interesting article discussing the huge transfer of housing wealth that occurred in the wake of the recession and the renewed push by financial firms to gobble up housing, particularly in the sunbelt: Dezember, R. & Kussito, L. (2018, July 10). Rental investors gamble on affluent tenants. The WSJ, p. B1-2.The number of home purchased by major investors in 2017 was at least 29,000, up 60% from the previous year.... The number of homes purchased by major investors since 2013 - when Blackstone Group LP... and Starwood Capital Group gobbled...more »

- The New York Times and Washington Post are leading the charge to dynamite the Trump-Kim talks. The Democrats carry the rally flag for the military industrial complex. The party that presumes to speak for the left (and even peace people) is working hard to ensure we keep a stable full of enemies that can continuously be trotted out to frighten the public. And the more frightened people get the more money they will allow the corporations to steal to prepare for war. - The US is not worried about the military capability of North Korea. It is being use...more »

The main stream media is doing a better job on focusing on the issues, but they still have a biased toward conflict. Who wins and loses based on the airing of an issue or problem is covered way too much … Continue reading →

*Curt Mills* *Security, * The figure in the purported photograph clearly resembles the Nazi leader who committed suicide on April 30, 1945, in his bunker in Berlin... *The Soviets and then the Russian Federation claimed for years to have some remains of Hitler, though the bodies of both he and Eva Braun, his longtime lover turned wife, were hastily cremated. Still, Moscow claims they recovered partial remains. But the Russians were embarrassed in 2009 when an American scientist was allowed to examine the skull for an hour claimed the skull was definitely female, not male, and fro...more »

*“Reality”* by Caitlin Johnstone "Once a little boy told his mum that he reckoned there shouldn’t be any more wars, and that people ought to take care of each other and make sure everyone gets enough to eat. She smiled, patted his head and told him he was a sweet child. The boy stopped sharing his idea as he got older, because it made bigger kids scoff and ridicule him. He learned about economics and foreign policy, and how war is often necessary to stop bad guys from doing bad things. He took on this new understanding so that he wouldn’t be made fun of anymore. Sometimes as a gro...more »

11-Jul-2018 Joining the RCEP would definitely have economic, social and environmental costs for India. Threats to the livelihoods of millions of farmers and workers due to cheaper imports are real and present danger.

11-Jul-2018 In the current talks to renegotiate NAFTA, the US is demanding a significant increase in access to Canadian agricultural markets and the phasing out of tariffs. Effectively, this would mean the end of supply management.

*Source: El Sol (Argentina) / Fundación Argentina de OvnilogíaDate: 07.11.2018* *Argentina: "Trumpet Sounds" Heard Over Mendoza* Social media users claim that in the early hours of Tuesday, disquieting sounds were heard for which no explanation can be found. The phenomenon has occurred in other provinces in the past. To some it was noise caused by speakers and trumpets. Others speak of noises similar to those generated by a train. The fact is that several residents of Mendoza were shaken from their sleep on Tuesday by noises for which the answer cannot be found. Messages turned...more »

A Chinese campaign to forcibly assimilate ethnic Uyghurs in its north-western province of Xinjiang in a bid to erase nationalist sentiment, counter militancy, and create an ‘Uyghur Islam with Chinese characteristics’ ignores lessons learnt not only from recent Chinese history but also the experience of others. The campaign, reminiscent of failed attempts to undermine Uyghur […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (6:00 P.M.) – Having regained control of almost the entire border line with Jordan, the Syrian Army began a full-scale mop-up operation to secure the area before safely deploying border forces. The cleansing operation has uncovered a huge underground armory which contains massive quantities of weapons and ammunition. The newly-discovered underground depot served […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:20 P.M.) – The Russian military police have entered the town of Tafas in western Daraa after the rebels agreed to reconcile with the government. According to a field report from the Daraa Governorate, the Russian military police entered the town of Tafas this afternoon in order to enforce the newly established reconciliation […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:30 P.M.) – Another town has accepted the Syrian government’s terms of reconciliation in the Daraa Governorate, local field journalists reported this afternoon. According to reports from the Daraa Governorate, the rebel forces in the town of Al-Yadoudah have agreed to reconcile with the Syrian government after several days of fighting near the […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:30 P.M.) – The Islamic State (ISIS) launched a powerful offensive in southeast Syria, today, targeting the government-held areas in the Al-Sweida Governorate. ISIS began the offensive by storming the Syrian Arab Army’s positions at the hilltops of Tal Barakat and Tal Aliyah. Not long after attacking those hilltops, another ISIS group stormed […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

BEIRUT, LEBANON (4:15 P.M.) – Gunfights were still ongoing as Afghan military forces attempted to secure an education department office in Jalalabad after armed men had stormed the premises on Wednesday. According to officials, at least 10 people were killed and 10 more wounded in the assault, including a security guard. Two suicide bomb vests were […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

Josh Marshall is watching the Jim Jordan story unfold, and his thoughts go back to 2006: Something is brewing on Capitol Hill that has an eerie resemblance to another set of events that happened just about 12 years ago as Washington hurtled toward the 2006 midterm election. In September 2006, ABC News first reported that Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) had exchanged sexually explicit text messages with underage male congressional pages. Later it was reported that after turning 18 at least two pages had had sexual encounters with Foley. Foley resigned from Congress.... At the time, Fo...more »

*"We’re Living in a Deep State Paradise"* by Bill Bonner NORMANDY, FRANCE – "Clowns to the left of us… jokers to the right – what a hoot it is to watch them jump and howl. Trade barriers… LGBT bathroom policies… the Dow… Elizabeth Warren… Rudolph Giuliani… unemployment… QT [quantitative tightening]… Canadians sneaking across the border to buy our shoes – there’s no shortage of louche entertainment in yesterday’s events. But what about tomorrow? We learn from the papers that computers can beat us at chess, write better essays, and drive our cars. So far, so good. *Identified Undesir...more »

I was recently reading an article by Greg Ip (one of best economics journalists around, by the way), and he used the following expression: "the trade balance improved" A quick google search finds this expression (and the related "the trade balance deteriorated") used many thousands of times by various writers. I would like to ask everyone to please stop saying things like this. Write instead: "the trade balance moved toward surplus" I know that is wordier, but saying "the trade balance improved" lends credibility to the view that trade surpluses are always good and trade deficits...more »

CBC News Published on Jul 11, 2018 Thai officials have released the first footage of the soccer team, their coach and their rescuers recovering in hospital after their ordeal of being trapped in a cave in northern Thailand for 18 days. To read more: http://cbc.ca/1.4741926 end

*The Guardian:* *Germany and Russia gas links: Trump is not only one to ask questions* *Politicians and energy experts say Nord Stream 2 will make Europe reliant on Russian gas.* Donald Trump may have used typically emotive – if premeditated – language from the outset at the Nato summit in Brussels to lambast Germany for its willingness to build a gas pipeline, but the US president’s view that this will make Europe particularly dependent on Russian gas is widely shared by European politicians, thinktanks and energy specialists, including some in Berlin. No country is more angr...more »

Months of trade talks have proven unsuccessful at halting the escalating U.S.-China tech trade conflict, as the U.S. finally implemented its first wave of 25 percent tariffs against $34 billion in high-tech Chinese imports on July 6. Those tariffs cover 818 products selected by the Office of the United States Trade Representative following its investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 into China’s policies relating to technology transfer and intellectual property. The list includes many goods favored under the Chinese government’s “Made in China 2025” initiative. The...more »

What good is NATO if Germany is paying Russia billions of dollars for gas and energy? Why are there only 5 out of 29 countries that have met their commitment? The U.S. is paying for Europe’s protection, then loses billions on Trade. Must pay 2% of GDP IMMEDIATELY, not by 2025. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 11, 2018 *WNU Editor: *It looks like President Trump is going to bring this subject up continuously for the entire duration of this NATO summit .... and I am not surprised, it is having an impact.

By the World Mercury Project Team At all levels of society, autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are exacting a heavy toll. On a purely economic level, the demand for special services and care for an escalating number of autistic children (and, increasingly, adults) is stretching families, schools and health care systems to the breaking point. In 2014, a comprehensive analysis of ASD costs published in JAMA […] The post Thousand-fold increase in Autism prevalence since the 1930s appeared first on Health Nut News.

A new report from the CDC shows that pediatric cancer rates are highest in the northeastern United States with Michigan reporting one of the highest rates in the country: between 2003 and 2014, 5,786 cases of pediatric cancer were reported. In fact, Michigan- the 10th most populated state in the Union- has the third highest rate […] The post Pediatric cancer: Michigan has some of the highest rates in the country appeared first on Health Nut News.

It's highly fallacious, ignorant, naïve or just flat-out stupid to think all these abominable nutcases running for public office two years after Trump is strictly coincidental. It's all of a piece. When you have a guy like Trump get "elected" president and he shares once marginalized views with these supposedly oppressed people, he makes their toxic views mainstream again. We've now come full circle since the Civil Rights era. We counted on the old civil rights leaders to eradicate these attitudes so we can continue moving toward all inclusion and multiculturalism. But that was...more »

* This is my article in BusinessWorld last June 25, 2018. The Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) of 2001 or RA 9136 was among the most important pro-market reforms in the Philippines. Before that law, the government-owned National Power Corporation (NPC) was the single-biggest debtor agency and the single-biggest deficit generator, fiscally bleeding the taxpayers while providing unreliable power supply. EPIRA has significantly changed this, moving away from a state monopoly to a competitive sector with dozens of competing players in power generation alone. Competition can p...more »

*The Guardian:* *Germany and Russia gas links: Trump is not only one to ask questions* *Politicians and energy experts say Nord Stream 2 will make Europe reliant on Russian gas.* Donald Trump may have used typically emotive – if premeditated – language from the outset at the Nato summit in Brussels to lambast Germany for its willingness to build a gas pipeline, but the US president’s view that this will make Europe particularly dependent on Russian gas is widely shared by European politicians, thinktanks and energy specialists, including some in Berlin. No country is more angr...more »

DW:* NATO summit: Angela Merkel hits back after Donald Trump says Germany 'captive' of Russia* "Germany is captive of Russia because it is getting so much of its energy from Russia," Trump said ahead of a NATO meeting in Brussels. German Chancellor Angela Merkel cited her own childhood in her response. German Chancellor Angela Merkel dismissed US President Donald Trump's claim that Germany was a Russian "captive" over a controversial gas pipeline deal, as NATO countries met on Wednesday for one of the alliance's most challenging summits in years. "Germany is captive of Russia bec...more »

Vladimir Putin's basic view has been expressed so many times, in so many different contexts, and it’s always the same: that the only people who have a sovereign right to any land, are the people who live on that land — nobody who lives outside that land does. The post Vladimir Putin’s basic disagreement with the West appeared first on The Duran.

While cordial relations remain, allegations suggest that some Greek authorities are taken in by European perception of Russia as a threat The post Greece EXPELS Russian diplomats, prompting retaliation from Moscow appeared first on The Duran.

Watch Trump dismantle NATO's Secretary General, who turns to some good old fashion butt kissing to win Trump over. The post Trump CRUSHES Nato Secretary General with massive truth bomb rant (Video) appeared first on The Duran.

Comedy #1, Dutertenomics were totally clueless that this thing can happen. They have believed their own projections and delusion that inflationary pressure of the TRAIN law would be mild and slow (chart from Rappler). Of course the bad joke is on the consumers. Dutertenomics officials will enjoy huge pay as consultants with the WB, ADB, IMF, other multilaterals when their term would end. Comedy #2, this pronouncement from Roque. Bogo man ito. The issue is not inflation per se, almost everyone accepts that reality. The issue is the pace or speed of inflation rates in 2018 relative...more »

*RAND : **Military Industrial Complex Linked- Time to make a deal on Syria?* Trump Putin Summit Pending * “Although U.S. leverage is much diminished by the Assad regime's recent gains, there are still opportunities for Washington and Russia to achieve a settlement that preserves some U.S. interests”* *I was thinking just that with regard to the southern front- The US had just lost some leverage in any negotiations- But was it worth giving up on the southern front to gain in the north east?* *“The Kremlin does not want to continue its air campaign in Syria indefinitely in support...more »

[image: man-challenges-city-on-use-of-surveillance-cameras-and-wins] Michael Maharrey of the Tenth Amendment Center challenged the use of surveillance cameras by the city of Lexington, Kentucky, and won.

[image: schools-2013-strip-search-sixth-graders-finally-ruled-unconstitutional] Back in 2013, a school nurse at a middle school in Texas was ordered to search the underwear of 22 girls in search of $50. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has finally ruled the school's actions unconstitutional.

On this date in 1936, temperatures in the Chicago area reached 112 degrees. 11 Jul 1936, 1 – Chicago Tribune at Newspapers.com July 11 temperatures in Indiana have been steadily declining for a century, and are down about ten degrees … Continue reading →

The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska already boasts 400 kilowatts of installed solar panels, more than nearly any other Midwestern Indian tribe. It doesn’t plan to stop there. The American Indian tribe expects to learn later this summer whether it will receive a federal grant to pay half the cost of an additional 300 kilowatts. Tribal leaders in this community of about 850 people in northeastern Nebraska say the solar push, which started a decade ago, advances commitments to sustainability and self-sufficiency, and is cutting electric bills. “Renewable energy is something we’re all ab...more »

Yeah, they have very little left in the tank, and it getting more fun to watch every day. Stephen Colbert and pro-abortion advocacy group NARAL have both feebly tried mocking Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh...........for being named Brett. Colbert, the obnoxious over-the-top critic of the Trump joked Tuesday night on "The Late Show" about playing a drinking "game" that involved pouring himself a drink every time his glass was empty as he watched Trump's announcement of Kavanaugh. "I don't know much about Kavanaugh, but I'm skeptical because his name is Brett. That...more »

*Daily Mail*: *'Germany is a captive of Russia': Trump dresses down NATO's secretary general and threatens Berlin over its lagging defense spending and energy partnership with Putin's government* * Donald Trump unleashed his fury on NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday morning after the leader asked him about Vladimir Putin * 'Germany is totally controlled by Russia,' Trump charged. 'I think its a very bad thing for NATO' * President Trump has berated America's European allies for failing to meet their defense spending obligations to NATO * The complaints come full ...more »

* This is my column in BusinessWorld last June 22, 2018. *“I have no reason to suppose that he, who would take away my Liberty, would not when he had me in his Power, take away everything else.”* — John Locke (1632-1704, British philosopher) Recently, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Philippine National Police (PNP) to arrest people who are out on the streets at night and seem to be idle or out making “tambay.” His speech to the PNP last June 14, 2018, which effectively became a directive was, “My directive is *’pag mag-istambay-istambay sabihin niyo, ‘Umuwi kayo. ’Pag ’di kay...more »

U.S. President Donald Trump walks in with U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis as they arrive to attend the multilateral meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels, Belgium July 11, 2018. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Pool via REUTERS *Reuters*: *Trump tells NATO leaders to up military spending to 4 percent of GDP* BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump told NATO leaders on Wednesday they should increase their defense spending to 4 percent of their country’s economic output, higher than the group’s goal of two percent, a White House official said. The official said the ...more »

*David Axe* *Security, Middle East* [image: The Israel Air Force and the Italian Air Force conclude an extensive, two-week exercise in Sardinia.] With Rampage, the Israeli air force could join a slowly growing number of air arms developing ALBMs for non-nuclear attacks. Two Israeli companies together have tested a new, supersonic air-launched ballistic missile with a conventional warhead that could allow fighters to strike heavily-defended targets at long range. But the new Rampage ALBM isn’t without its drawbacks. The weapon is bulky. Its warhead is probably small compared to ot...more »

*Daniel R. DePetris* *Security, Europe* [image: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a news conference ahead of a summit that will gather leaders of the 29 alliance members in Brussels, Belgium, July 10 2018. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause] It is time that NATO has an enforcement mechanism to ensure everyone spends 2% of GDP on defense. The annual North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Brussels is typically a time for every member of the alliance to take stock of where they are, what capabilities are lacking, and what each can do better. It is also an oppo...more »

*Zalmay Khalilzad* *Security, Europe* [image: A U.S. Air Force pilot looks at a KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft as he refuels his F-16 fighter during the U.S.-led Saber Strike exercise in the air over Estonia June 6, 2018. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins] Donald Trump's criticism that the alliance isn't fit for form is valid. NATO needs an overhaul. At the NATO summit this week, President Donald Trump will undoubtedly criticize allies for not spending enough on defense and for pursuing their own economic wellbeing, in part at the expense of the United States. The president has been lambas...more »

FRONT AND CENTER: President Donald Trump jovially greeted fellow world leaders on Wednesday afternoon at the opening ceremony of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's leader's summit in Brussels *Daily Mail:* *Center of attention! Donald Trump mingles with world leaders at NATO's opening ceremony after breakfast blow-up over allies' defense spending* * Donald Trump unleashed his fury on NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday morning after the leader asked him about gripes about Germany * 'Germany is totally controlled by Russia,' Trump charged. 'I think its a very...more »

(Weapons and Warfare)The Iran-Iraq War was one of the longest and deadliest in recent histories. Iran full of zeal after its revolution hoped to spread its ideology across the Persian Gulf and believed Iraq was in its way. Saddam Hussein saw the threat posed by Tehran, but also wanted to seize control of the Shatt al-Arab waterway Iraq’s only access to the Persian Gulf and weaken his neighbor. That led to an eight year war that left hundreds of thousands of casualties. Anthony Tucker-Jones was a long time British intelligence officer, journalist, and now author. His *Iran-Iraq War,...more »

1917 1st Battle of Ramadi started Ottomans forced British to retreat 1921 Iraq council of state declared Faisal monarch of Iraq 1979 Pres Bakr resigned from the Revolutionary Command Council citing health Saddam took over council 1991 Iran warned that Iraqi forces about to launch new military operation into southern marshes against rebels and displaced 1991 UK intel report said Iraq tried 4 methods to enrich uranium for its nuclear program and might have made enough for 1 bomb 1991 Pres Bush said that coup vs Saddam might be best way to assure that...more »

Armchair psychologists have been analyzing Señor Trumpanzee for years but long before diagnoses like cognitive decline, Malignant Narcissism, antisocial personality disorder, dementia, sociopath, Finasteride Psychotic Disorder, Narcissistic Personality Disorder and psychosis, everyone who followed Trump for years noticed that he constantly *projects*. That's a psychological defense mechanism-- often hostile, in which individuals attribute characteristics they find unacceptable in themselves to another person. Often a mechanism of paranoia, Freud believed projection to be a defense...more »

*ABC News Online*:* NATO summit: Donald Trump calls Germany Russian 'captive', hammers allies on military spending* United States President Donald Trump claimed a pipeline project has made Germany "totally controlled" by and "captive to Russia" during a combative breakfast that kicked off what was already expected to be a fraught NATO summit. Mr Trump, in a testy exchange with NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg, took issue with the US protecting Germany when the European nation is making deals with Russia. Mr Trump appeared to be referring to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that ...more »

The US backed Iranian opposition are neither "revolutionary," nor even "in" Iran. Yet they have been designated as Washington's proxies of choice, and an alternative government they seek to place into power in Tehran. *July 11, 2018* (Tony Cartalucci - NEO) - As the US-led proxy war in Syria reaches a relative stalemate and with time on Damascus and its allies' side, Washington's wider agenda of using the conflict as a stepping stone toward regime change in Iran is leading into a much larger conflict. Geopolitical expert F. William Engdahl has pointed out the means through which ...more »

By Robert Henneke Students like Donald don’t check their constitutional rights at the gates to a public university simply because they are athletically gifted. We are encouraged that today’s decision affirms that the First Amendment trumps any private rules that UCF may have, and that the university will change its policies accordingly to respect all constitutionally protected free speech.

*WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 2018Part 3—For decades, we've purchased such tales:* On the back of The Order of Time, the reader is assailed, indeed propagandized, by the standard encomia. First up is The Financial Times. Under the heading PRAISE FOR CARLO ROVELLI, we're told that the Financial Times once said this about that: "The physicist known for making complex science intelligible." On that same back cover, four others recite the same story. The Scientific American is said to have once said this: "His concise and comprehensible writing makes sense of intricate notions..." Reviewers ...more »

We've discussed Illinois' catastrophic pension situation in these pages on several occasions. Wirepoints has now conducted an in-depth study of the situation, and points out that the narrative being portrayed by the state government, unions and the mainstream media there is simply not correct. The problem is that unions have been promised largesse by the state that simply can't be afforded. One graphic perfectly captures the absurdity of Illinois pensions over the past three decades. In 1987, pension promises made to active workers and retirees in the state’s five state-run pe...more »

By Lise Alves, Senior Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Rio de Janeiro’s city council announced on Tuesday it was suspending its mid-year recess to analyze two impeachment processes against Mayor Marcelo Crivella. Crivella is accused of promising to use his clout to obtain advantages for Evangelical churches. According to the two impeachment processes […]

By Jay Forte, Contributing Reporter RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Approximately 4,000 soldiers from the Armed Forces and the Civil and Military Police are being used in an operation today in favela communities in the north and south of Rio de Janeiro, according to a government news agency. This is a continuation of the military […]

*thank you President Trump.* I surely do hope we have clouds since I can see them so much better now. And maybe I will run into Baby Doll Chad Prather again while shopping at the liquor store. And........ Trump kicks some German ass at NATO summit: *Amazon Today* Up to 30% off select *musical instruments from Yamaha, Shure*, and more Great Deals in *Health and Beauty*

*Al Jazeera:* *NATO summit 2018: All you need to know* *Funding and upcoming Trump-Putin talks have dominated discussions in the lead-up to Wednesday's summit in Brussels.* Dozens of heads of state and government are set to meet in Brussels on Wednesday for what is likely to be a stormy NATO summit. Although the 29-member military alliance's annual meetings have traditionally been fairly by-the-book affairs, expectations are different this year - thanks, in large, to Donald Trump. In office since January 2017, the US president has been openly critical of many of NATO's practices,...more »

July 11 afternoon temperatures have been plummeting in the US for over a century. On July 11, 1936 most of the eastern two-thirds of the US was over 100 degrees. On July 11, 1911 temperatures were over 100 degrees from … Continue reading →

On July 11, 1954, Sedgwick, Colorado reached 114 degrees, the hottest temperature ever recorded in Colorado. Boulder was 104 degrees, during a string of four consecutive days over 100 degrees. It was the hottest temperature ever recorded in Boulder, and … Continue reading →

Trump is quite right that America’s NATO allies, particularly Germany and Canada, don’t spend enough on defense. Germany is reported to have less than twenty operational tanks. Canada’s armed forces appear to be smaller than the New York City police department. But the Europeans ask, ‘defense against whom?’ The post ‘Pay Up You NATO Deadbeats Or Else!’ appeared first on OrientalReview.org.

11-Jul-2018 With all the talk of demanding labour rights under NAFTA that are progressive and enforceable, it begs the question: what happened to demanding those rights when negotiating the new Trans-Pacific trade deal?

In what can only described as a whimpering response to the hammering that public service unions just received from the Supreme Court, NEA delegates passed a resolution that allows the collection of $3 dollars from each member in a voluntary donation fund for future job actions by state affiliates. The resolution . . . directs the NEA to establish a voluntary membership donation of at least $3. The donation would establish a fund to support strikes or other statewide labor actions, such as a short-term work stoppage. This new business item, which will cost $1,250 to implement, asks ...more »

Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. - Oliver Moore reports on Greyhound's elimination of most of its Western Canadian bus service. Emily Riddle offers a reminder that the lack of transportation puts Indigenous women and other marginalized people at risk. And Simon Enoch highlights the obvious need for Saskatchewan to resume operating a public rural bus service. - The Globe and Mail feigns shock at the revelation that Doug Ford is in fact Doug Ford, while Tom Parkin documents the fiscal crisis Ford is deliberately creating. And Andray Domise appropriately labels Ford's...more »

Life may be common amongst the stars, but perhaps very far away. But new research published in *Nature* hints that it could be much closer than we expected. And it may be on a world of water and ice. It seems that in a posthumous gift to humanity, the celebrated Cassini spacecraft may have revealed that Enceladus, one of saturn's great moons, holds the building blocks of life. read more

Life may be common amongst the stars, but perhaps very far away. But new research published in *Nature* hints that it could be much closer than we expected. And it may be on a world of water and ice. It seems that in a posthumous gift to humanity, the celebrated Cassini spacecraft may have revealed that Enceladus, one of saturn's great moons, holds the building blocks of life. read more

[image: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt seated on the south lawn at Hyde Park. Photograph by Oscar Jordan. August 1932. (FDR Presidential Library)] In Beijing, July 10, the China-Arab Belt and Road Cooperation Forum resulted in a $20 billion fund for rejuvenation and industrialization in the region, focused on Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and Jordan. Similar infrastructure development projects, creating the basis of national, self-sufficient economies are underway in Africa, creating a new spirit of creativity and hope for the future. Helga Zepp-LaRouche just returned from a conference in ...more »

Recent testimony from General John Hyten (USAF) and Commander of the United States Strategic Command before the United States Committee on Armed Services gives us a very clear look at where the Defense Department feels that it is vulnerable. Let's look at some of the highlights of his testimony followed by a recent news story from Tass, Russia's largest news agency. Here are the pertinent highlights of General Hyten's testimony. He opens by outlining the capabilities of the United States Strategic Command or USSTRATCOM: "*USSTRATCOM is a global warfighting command, setting the co...more »

There is a mounting gap between what the headlines say about the costs of cyber insecurity to the U.S. economy and the results of data-driven research on this topic—with negative implications for cybersecurity. Congress should move to narrow the gap by passing a federal law that takes two steps to protect data. First, it should require companies that possess sensitive personal information to publicly disclose when significant breaches of this information occur. Second, the law should also establish across-the-board requirements for companies that own and operate critical infrastru...more »

Events in Washington may overshadow what's happening around the world, but nobody can miss the confusion that attends the British government right now. Two ministers have resigned over Brexit, and the furture of Britain’s negotiations with the European Union is radically uncertain. All of which led me to an odd musing—what if Britain changed its mind? Not that it is terribly likely to happen, but what would be the result if the U.K. decided it wanted to stay in the EU? As a formal matter, it has submitted notice of its intent to withdraw under Article 50 of the treaty that created ...more »

Parliament House, Canberra, Australia (Credit: Wikimedia/JJ Harrison) Australia passed national security and foreign interference laws at the end of June that Attorney General Christian Porter has called the country’s biggest counterintelligence overhaul in decades. The legislation includes tougher penalties for traditional espionage activities—such as leaking classified information and interfering with public infrastructure—along with sweeping provisions aimed at combating foreign interference and a registration scheme for agents of foreign political actors. The laws are part of ...more »

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Turkey expects to receive the first batches of the S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems before the end of the next year, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a NATO forum in Brussels on Wednesday, Anadolu Agency reported. “The first deliveries of the S-400 system to Turkey will take place before the end of […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:40 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has uncovered another large stockpile of western-made weapons left behind by the rebels in the Daraa Governorate. The Syrian Ministry of Defense released footage on Wednesday that showed a large quantity of weapons that were left behind by the rebels in the eastern countryside of […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (4:05 P.M.) – Rocket sirens sounded all over the Occupied Golan Heights and the northern settlements of the Jordan Valley as a patriot missile was fired at a drone. According a source from the Israel military, a hostile drone approached the area from Syria which triggered the Air Defense units into firing a […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (4:00 P.M.) – Rebels’ reign in the western countryside of Daraa is increasingly shrinking as more town and villages enter into reconciliation agreements with the Syrian Army; which keeps on advancing toward the small area controlled by Islamic State. Today, militants in Tafas and Tall al-Asha’ari accepted to surrender their towns to the […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:15 P.M.) – US President Donald Trump arrived at the NATO HQ in Brussels ahead of the NATO Summit on Wednesday. Trump was welcomed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, with whom he had had breakfast earlier in the day. The NATO Summit takes place in Brussels from July 11-12. Chaired by Stoltenberg, the […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

An F-4 Phantom II fight jet of the Iranian Air Force crashed in the southeast of the country on Wednesday over a technical fault, the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA) reported. The accident took place when the aircraft had been on a patrol mission over the Chabahar city, the outlet said. Both crew members safely ejected themselves […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:00 P.M.) – The battle for southwest Syria has recently taken a turn for the worse for the rebel forces, as they now find themselves fully besieged inside the provincial capital of Daraa. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) continued their large-scale offensive around the provincial capital of Daraa, today, seizing several points from […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

The United States has no clear strategy for Syria, Russian Defense Minister Army General Sergei Shoigu said in an interview with Italy’s Il Giornale daily published on Wednesday. “Since US lawmakers and experts have been calling on the government to clarify its strategy for Syria, our country is not the only one who does not […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:10 P.M.) – The rebel forces in the west Daraa town of Tafas have agreed to reconcile with the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) after several days of intense fighting. According to a military source in Daraa, the Free Syrian Army’s (FSA) Southern Front Brigades agreed to reconcile with the Syrian Arab Army, following […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:00 P.M.) – The Houthi forces issued a powerful response to the recent advances by the UAE-backed troops in western Yemen on Wednesday. Led by their rocket battalion, the Houthi forces claimed they fired a ballistic missile towards the areas that were recently captured by the UAE-backed troops near the Hodeideh Governorate. According […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:50 P.M.) – The rebel forces inside Daraa city have allegedly accepted a deal to surrender the areas they control to the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), local field journalists reported this afternoon. According to their reports, the rebels have agreed to handover the Daraa Al-Balad District and the remaining areas they control around […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:40 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) launched several airstrikes against the Islamic State (ISIS) in the Yarmouk Basin region, today, to aid the rebels in the western countryside of Daraa. The Syrian Air Force reportedly launched over ten airstrikes on the positions of the Islamic State affiliate “Jaysh Khaled bin […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:20 P.M.) – The UAE-backed forces continued their military operations along the western coast of Yemen, today, targeting several areas controlled by the Houthis. Led by the Southern Resistance Army and Yemeni Republican Guard, the UAE-backed forces captured the strategic Tuhaytah area near the Hodeideh provincial border. It took the UAE-backed forces nearly […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

Syria has not turned to Russia so far with a request to deliver S-300 air defense missile systems, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in an interview with the Italian daily Il Giornale on Wednesday. “A decision on the delivery of this type of armament to the army of any foreign state is made on […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:00 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) resumed their large-scale offensive around Daraa city this morning, seizing new areas from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and their allies. Led by their 42nd Brigade of the 4th Armored Division, the Syrian Arab Army attacked the Jaleen Neighborhood of west Daraa in a bid […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

Turkish police launched an operation on Wednesday to detain 235 people associated with Muslim author and televangelist Adnan Oktar over accusations including forming a criminal gang, fraud and sexual abuse, Istanbul police headquarters said. It said in a statement the raids were carried out by its financial crimes section in an operation state-run Anadolu news […] Source: AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز - The Arab Source

What a $1,210 coffee cup looks like. U.S. Air Force photo. *Popular Mechanics:* *The Air Force is 3D Printing Coffee Cup Handles to Save Money* *The alternative is buying new coffee mugs at $1,210 a pop.* The U.S. Air Force is 3D printing replacement handles for broken coffee cups. Why? Not for fun. it’s printing the handles to avoid buying new cups at a cost of $1,210 each. The cups in question are metal cups designed to work with larger Air Force aircraft where crews work in pressurized areas—think cargo planes and aerial refueling aircraft. Air crews, such as the KC-10 Extende...more »

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